I’ll tell ya straight up – Golf is one crazy game…
Being into sports my entire life, I’ve always been competitive, and I know the fact that there are things out there that affect your life and you have absolutely no control over. I’ve done huge flip tricks down massive gaps on my skateboard, bushwacked through the trees at uncontrollable speeds on my snowboard, hit massive home runs in baseball, and slam dunked basketballs on 10 foot nets, and I have to emphasize how tough it is to be good at golf. Anyone can swing a club and make solid contact, but these pros are intense. They know exactly how far they’re gonna hit the ball, and what spin to put on it, and the dime to land it on. This year’s Masters Tournament was hardcore. All 4 days saw a different group of leaders. The talk of the town was Fred Couples leading after Friday, then Phil Mickelson stepped it up and Freddy went downhill. As quick as you climb to the top, it’s sooooo easy to lose your footing on the side of the mountain. After Saturday, it was Peter Hansen, Phil Mickelson and Louis Oosthuizen sitting pretty in the top 3. We all know Phil, but who the hell are these other 2 guys? Peter Hansen had a Saturday that every golfer dreams about where it was practically impossible for him to not get it in. There was a magnetic force coming out of the centre of the earth to this guy’s ball and it was pulling it into the holes. But Sunday came early, and once again the leaderboard was about to shuffle. Louis Oosthuizen started the day off right with a world record – scoring a Double Eagle/albatross on the 2nd hole. For those who don’t understand golf, the par for the hole is 5 shots, Oosthuizen scored in 2. An unbelievable shot, but an even more unbelievable amount of pressure to now stay in the lead and win this entire tournament. Phil was falling apart bad at the beginning but did make a strong come back in the end. Peter played steady the whole day, but both fell short a couple strokes. The surprise of Sunday was Bubba Watson sneaking his way up to tie for first place right near the end of the round. Bubba started the day playing side by side with Oosthuizen so the ambition was definitely there to win. With his signature pink driver, and carefree swing, Bubba rose to the top and took Louis to sudden death. Both had terrible luck in the playoff holes and tied again. It was here where Bubba showed his skill was greater on this day, and Oosthuizen’s luck had finally run out. An amazing shot on the 2nd hole that will be remembered by golf fans forever, but still no green jacket for Louis. The win went to Bubba Watson and the tears were flying. What an intense day. It reminded me of watching the Street League skateboard contests how it’s always “do or die” and if you mess up once, you lose…
Some people don’t consider golf a sport, but I have to argue to a point. I play pool competitively, and golf and pool are very similar. They’re not really sports because of their physical style, but mentally they are both so difficult. It’s a game of math, a game of split decisions, and a game of precision shooting. The funny thing about golf is how intense the fans are. In any other sporting event, the fans get their beers and go take a seat. Half the time they miss most of the game ‘cause their busy shooting the shit with their buddy, but not golf. This is gotta be one of the only sports where the fans actually have to walk along side of the players. They don’t sit back and relax, but they chase the players and dive out of the way of bad shots. Their nuts…
I love all sports, and could shout out stats on most of them. And out of all the Masters Tournaments I’ve seen in the past, this was definitely in the top 3 for emotional roller coaster atmosphere.
Congratulations to Bubba Watson. Now keep it up!